Serena Williams tipped to continue playing until 2028 by Mats Wilander
Serena Williams’ return at Wimbledon is one of the biggest talking points of the entire Grand Slam, but we could be seeing plenty more of the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Williams begins her Wimbledon campaign with a singles match against Maya Joint, and she will also play doubles alongside her sister Venus Williams.
Many have speculated about Williams’ future following her return to tennis, with many suggesting it could end once again alongside her sister at the 2026 US Open.
Williams previously bowed out from tennis at the 2022 US Open and her sister Venus is expected to retire from the sport at the Flushing Meadows event.
However, Mats Wilander believes Williams has an even longer-term goal when it comes to her return to the sport she dominated for so many years.
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Speaking to Eurosport, the Swedish Grand Slam champion said: “I don’t think Serena Williams’ return is purely short-term. I see her playing for at least a year. At the very least. I don’t expect her to play singles at Wimbledon and then skip the US Open.
“I’m convinced she’ll also be at Flushing Meadows. Her immediate results are less important, in my opinion, because it’s quite clear to me that she’s aiming for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“I imagine that’s a very important goal for her. She’s won numerous gold medals, in both singles and doubles, and I really expect to see her at the Games.”
Williams has not played at the Olympic Games since 2016, which was hosted in Rio. The icon reached the round of 16 stage in both singles and doubles, but she does have immense history at the tournament.
The star won two doubles gold medals in Sydney in 2000 and Beijing in 2008, and her sole singles gold medal came at the London Games in 2012.
Williams beat the likes of Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, and Maria Sharapova to claim the first and only singles gold medal of her career.
Whether she returns at the 2028 Games in anyone’s guess, but she would surely only be returning to play in the doubles. However, many thought that at Wimbledon, so Williams can often keep fans and pundits on their toes.
Williams has played just two matches so far in her tennis return, in doubles matches alongside Victoria Mboko at Queen’s and Karolina Muchova in Berlin.
She will be hoping to add more reps with lengthy runs in both singles and doubles at Wimbledon. However, she will be faced with a tough task to do so in singles, with potential early match-ups with Alex Eala and Iga Swiatek at SW19.
